Whether you lived in the coal region all your life, or lived here & moved away- you know that there are certain foods, sayings, events, & customs somewhat exclusive to the coal region during the winter months & Thanksgiving through Orthodox New Years.
So, let’s see if you catch yourself nodding your head in agreement as you read our fun quiz below. Give yourself 1 point for each nod & share you score below! Here we go--
YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM THE COAL REGION WHEN…
1. It is always a school holiday for the opening day of buck season.
2. You keep old chairs in the garage to protect that parking space you just shoveled out.
3. You stock up on milk, bread, & eggs for EVERY snowfall forecast & then eat French toast for days.
4. You went sledding on coal shovels & giant inner tubes from “Yookie” (Euclid) trucks.
5. You know road crews put “cinders” on roads during the winter—not sand.
6. You realize there are 4 “real” seasons—football, hunting, fishing, & beer. (beer season is year-round)
7. You recall radio stations taking at least 20 minutes every half hour reciting snow cancellations because just about every town had its own school district plus multiple parochial schools.
8. You had a Christmas club at your local bank.
9. You know someone who hung beer cans on a Christmas tree.
10. You ALWAYS got coal for Christmas—or else the house froze.
11. You got coal candy (hard black licorice) in a black miniature coal bucket with a little hammer.
12. Christmas kielbasa is part of the 4 major food groups along with halupky, pirohy, & halusky.
13. You know people who hang stockings on the mantle for St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6th), Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th), & Orthodox Christmas Eve (Jan. 6th).
14. You saw candles in paper bags lining walkways & driveways on Christmas Eve.
15. You pick “mushies” for Christmas Eve mushroom soup.
16. You had dandelion salad with hot bacon dressing at least once between Thanksgiving & New Years.
17. You trade 2 bayberry candles with a close friend & burn them on Christmas Eve & New Years Eve for good luck.
18. You recall giant lighted stars on coal company breakers.
19. You used to string popcorn on the Christmas tree.
20. You attend “meatless” Christmas Eve holy suppers with the 12 dishes (12 bonus points if you can name all 12 dishes).
21. You enjoy the decades-old non-stop Christmas music tradition on AM 1410 WLSH Lansford from Thanksgiving Day through Orthodox Christmas on January 7th.
22. Christmas Eve & Christmas morning churches services were never cancelled because of weather.
23. You put Christmas tree tinsel on the platform train tracks to watch it arc & spark.
24. You know someone who put 3 silver coins under the front doormat to get 3 blessings for the new year—peace, love, & health.
25. You know Guer’s Dairy makes the best holiday season egg nog in the coal region.
26. You eat halupky PLUS ham & bean soup on New Years Day.
27. You know someone who makes “flitch” (potato candy) for the holidays.
28. You throw a bucket of water out the front door on News Years Eve for good luck.
29. You have a neighbor who fires a shotgun into the air at the stroke of midnight on New Years Eve.
30. You got an orange at the bottom of your stocking & always wondered why.
31. You know BOILO is the coal region’s most talked about holiday drink.
How did you do? Make sure you head on over to Coal Region Connections on Facebook and post your score